Nursing home bill (essentially) fails

A bill that would have put caps on litigation against nursing homes came to a 3-3 vote in a House subcommittee today after a 90-minute discussion. The bill had been deferred four times in the same subcommittee, and drew a standing-room-only crowd that spilled out into the halls of the plaza this afternoon.

The tie vote means the bill is essentially dead, unless the subcommittee brings it back up later for Speaker Kent Williams to support it. UPDATE: Williams appeared in the halls of Legislative Plaza this afternoon after taking leave to mourn the death of his father. He said he “wouldn’t have thought to break the tie” in the subcommittee vote.

“I don’t think the two sides are negotiating,” Williams said. He said he would be willing to sit down with the interested parties, but so far had not heard anything from either side.